NEW DELHI: Batting in a chase is widely regarded as one of the toughest tasks in cricket, and those who excel under pressure are often counted among the best in the world. One of the first names that comes to mind when discussing chases is none other than ‘chasemaster’ Virat Kohli. The Indian talisman has won many matches single-handedly while chasing and amassed a mountain of runs.The Indian Premier League is no exception, as Kohli leads the tally for most runs in chases in the league, with 4027 runs from 125 innings. That is just under 50% of his record 8758 IPL runs. However, in terms of best average while chasing, Kohli does not even feature in the top five among the 231 batters who have batted at least 10 times in chases. In fact, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru star sits 10th with an average of 41.51.David Miller, who has been in the spotlight since Wednesday night after his refusal to take a single off the penultimate ball led to Delhi Capitals losing by one run to Gujarat Titans, tops this elite list. Despite that costly moment, Miller’s reputation as a finisher remains intact, and his numbers underline his dominance in chases.Miller has scored 1,816 runs in 67 innings at an impressive average of 49.08, with a strike rate of 142.54, including 12 fifties and a century.His DC teammate KL Rahul, whose 92 off 52 went in vain against Gujarat Titans, is second on the list with an average of 47.92 from 66 innings. Rahul has accumulated 2,636 runs in those chases at a strike rate of 138.22, including 25 half-centuries.Kohli’s RCB teammate Phil Salt is third with an average of 46.92, albeit from just 16 innings. He has scored 657 runs at a stunning strike rate of 178.04, including eight fifties.Former Mumbai Indians batter Lendl Simmons follows with an average of 46.22, having scored 416 runs from 11 innings, including one century and three fifties.Sai Sudharsan rounds off the top five with a chasing average of 45.40 from 22 innings, scoring 908 runs at a strike rate of 141.43, including one hundred and five fifties.
Best batting average while chasing in IPL
| Innings | Runs | Average | SR | 50s/100s | |
| David Miller | 67 | 1816 | 49.08 | 142.54 | 12/1 |
| KL Rahul | 66 | 2636 | 47.92 | 138.22 | 25/0 |
| Phil Salt | 16 | 657 | 46.92 | 178.04 | 8/0 |
| Lendl Simmons | 11 | 416 | 46.22 | 132.90 | 3/1 |
| Sai Sudharsan | 22 | 908 | 45.40 | 141.43 | 5/1 |
| Rinku Singh | 22 | 587 | 45.15 | 156.53 | 4/0 |
| Matthew Hayden | 13 | 490 | 44.54 | 137.64 | 4/0 |
| Kevin Pietersen | 22 | 640 | 42.66 | 134.73 | 2/1 |
| Shaun Marsh | 29 | 1060 | 42.40 | 137.48 | 11/0 |
| Virat Kohli | 125 | 4027 | 41.51 | 134.90 | 28/2 |
(Note – Batters who batted at least 10 times in IPL chases)
